8
in other words
july10
2012
Natural Path to Health: Skin Care
By Dr. Carol McIntyre

Happy Summer!! Yes, I think it
has finally arrived…. Finally! Now that
the sun is going to be out, I thought we
should talk about how to take care of our
skin.

First and foremost, stay
hydrated! This is the most fundamentally
important thing you can do to keep your
skin healthy… not to mention keeping
your body hydrated in the heat to avoid
heat stroke. Your skin is your largest
organ and your body is made up of over
85% water, so in order to keep your skin
soft and supple you need to drink enough
water. Water is the oldest beauty secret
for healthy skin.

Second, apply sunscreen. It
is important to use sunscreen daily,
especially on your face, to avoid
formation of lines/wrinkles. Of course
you want to wear sunscreen when you’re
playing in the sun or floating down the
river, but you really should be wearing it
on a daily basis to avoid over exposure
and decrease your risk of skin cancer.

Third, moisturize. Yes, you need
to support your healthy skin from the
inside and the outside. Applying a good
moisturizer right after bathing will help
lock in moisture and leave your skin soft
and smooth.

So, what happens when you
do forget your sunscreen and you get
a sunburn? Well, I of course have my
favorites… Aloe is amazing for healing,
as well as lavender essential oil. Both of
these have amazing healing properties
and will help soothe the burn. Some
people will apply aloe gel directly from
the leaf to their burn and I find that
sometimes this can actually irritate the
skin.

I suggest using an aloe vera gel
for topical relief. There is a wonderful
new spray that I have for sale in my
office that is made by my preferred aloe
distributor. It is a wonderful healer and
does not need to be used just to treat
sunburn. Other uses include a facial
toner, wound healer, hydrating spritz
and much more. I also carry the aloe gel,
which as many of you know, treats all
types of skin conditions from sunburn to
scrapes/wounds to eczema! Wonderful.

If you decide to use the lavender
Veterinarian assumed to be lepto, or as
it’s called in the vaccine, Leptospirosis.
Lepto has many names including Ca-
nicola Fever, Caver’s Flu, Mud Fever,
Swamp Fever to name a few.
It only makes sense that lepto
would be given such names
as it thrives in water, and dur-
ing rainy seasons. It is an eas-
ily transmitted disease, being
transmitted from the urine of an
infected animal. A wide num-
ber of animals can be carriers
of Lepto, but primary hosts in-
clude raccoons, rats, voles and
mice.

Lepto is contracted when an
unvaccinated animal comes in contact
with an infected animal’s urine, blood,
food, soil, or water from a puddle that an
infected animal has been in contact with.
It is not common for an animal to get
lepto from eating an infected animal,
however.
essential oil just be sure to test it on a
small area of your skin first to determine
whether it will be irritating to your skin.
Lavender is one of the only essential
oils that you can apply directly to the
skin without irritation, but some people
are sensitive so it’s better to check first.
You can even add a few drops to the aloe
spray for an added healing effect.

OK. Stay hydrated, wear your
sunscreen and moisturize! Enjoy the
sun~ Be Safe~ Summer is finally here!

Thanks for joining me. Be Well~

P.S. We are now in network
with Kaiser/CHP~ get a referral from
your PCP if you can. I am also booked a
month out… so keep that in mind when
you call to schedule.
Creature Comforts ~ What in the Sam Blazes is LEPTO Anyway?
By Victoria Guerrero

Being a dog owner comes with
so many rewards, but also responsibili-
ties. One of the many responsibilities is
vaccinating against disease.

Many local veterinarians send
out post cards as a reminder for yearly
vaccines. Some may feel that yearly
booster vaccines are a waste of money,
or not crucial for a dog’s health. But a
few facts about what Dhlpp is may be
surprising, and hopefully will encourage
you to have your dog friend/s vaccinated
yearly. This month we are focusing on
the “L” part of the vaccine, to further
educate and support our community.

I was prompted to write on the
topic of vaccines when my neighbor’s
healthy adult dog died, from what the
it is worth mentioning. If a human has an
open wound that comes in contact with
an animal with lepto, or water that has
been contaminated, it is then possible for
that person get lepto.

A dog that has contracted lepto
will show the following signs, usually
within 4 to 12 days: fever, lethargy, and
lack of appetite. It is also accompanied
by vomiting, diarrhea, and the eye color
and or urine may seem more yellow as
well due to the compromising of the liv-
er.

Lepto is a bacterial infection
that if caught in time, is treatable, though
treatment can be very expensive.

The scary part about lepto is that
Of course prevention is the
it is a zoonotic disease--zoonotic mean- best medicine and in researching lepto,
ing it is transmittable to humans from it appears that aside from vaccination,
animals. Though the risk is very small, the best prevention is keeping the out-
of-doors as carrier-free as possible.
Feeding raccoons seems to be a com-
mon way to contract lepto as raccoons
are the main carriers of it. Though not
yet proven, feral cats are suspected as
carriers as well. So plan on vacci-
nating your dog as a puppy, and give
call Kim
yearly boosters as adults.

At Creatures, we carry both
puppy vaccines, and adult dog boost-
ers, please feel free to call for an ap-
pointment for a booster if your dog/s
Lovable service at
a reasonable price are due!

Creatures is located at 736
• Bathing
Bridge Street, Vernonia and can be
reached at 503-429-7387.
• Haircuts
291
A
Street
• Nail Clipping
• Nail Polishing
• Specialty
Shampoos
Vernonia’s Voice is published
twice each month on the 2nd
and 4th Tuesday. Look for our
next issue July 24th.
START RIGHT. START HERE. SM
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834 Bridge St., Vernonia (503) 429-6364